Clutch.



0. MILLER.

CLUTCH.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN.9. 1914.

Patented Mair. 23,1915.

o'rrro MILLER, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

' onu'rcm To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, OTTO 'MILLER, a 01131- zen of the'United States ofAmerica, and resident of Cincinnati, county of Hainllton, and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of

' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in clutches and particularly tothat class commonly known as multiple disk clutches, in which one seriesof disks are mounted to rotatewith the driving member to formthe powertransmitting disks while the other series-are mounted to rotate with thedriven member to cooperate with the power transmitting disks incommunicating motion to the driven member.

An object of my invention 1s. to produce .a clutch, which is capable ofmore minute adjustment and which will consequently operate more smoothlythan other clutches.

- known to me.

Another object of. my invention is to produce a clutch, in whichimproved means are employed for obtaining more efiicient lubricationbetween adjacent friction disks.

These and other objects are'attained in the clutch described in thefollowing specistruction. Fig.- 4 is a perspective view of' a powertransmitting disk forming a detail of the clutch.- Fig. 5 is aperspective yiew -of an improved friction disk forming part of myimproved clutch construction. Fig. .6

1s a prspective view of a detail of -my mvehtion.

The clutch illustrated comprises a drivmember 7 a driven member. 8,friction disks 9 and 10, for communicating motion from the drivingto thedriven member,

means '11 for causing the disks to frictionally engage each other andmanually oper ated means 12 for causing. the engaging 1 means 11 torelease. the frictional engagement of the disks with eachother.

' The driving member 7 is mounted on the power'shaft 13 and has anoutwardly ex- Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

Application filed January 9, 1914. Serial No. 811,128.

tending hollow cylindrical portion 14, in the outer surface of whichkey-ways 15 are formed. Between these keyways, slots 16 are provided,which extend from the outer end to the-inner end of portion 14, anddivide it into sections 17.

The driven member 8 is mounted to rotate on ball bearings 18 running ina ball race 19 formed on the driving member 7 and is provided with. anoutwardly .extending shell-like portion 20a l .In the inner surface ofthe shell 20,- key- I ways 21 are formed, while on its outer sur-- face,driving means, such as the sprocket teeth 22 are located. 4

The friction disks 10 are provided with lugs or keys 23, which engagethe. keyways 21 of the driven member 8 and the alternate which engagethe keyways 15 of the drivmg member 7. The series of driving disks w 9are of plain flat metal, as'shown in Fig. 4,

while the driven disks 10, shown in Fig. 5-,

Rare roughened or formed with a. series of projections 25,- which extendfrom each side thereof, forming a series of oppositely located recesses'38. These projections hold disks 9 are provided with lugs or keys 24:,v

the adjacent smooth disks 9' away from the body of the disks 10, so thatthey contact only the tops of the projections.

Contacting the outermost smooth disk 9 is an auxiliary spring-carryingdisk 26,

which is provided with a series of radially extending flat springs 27curved outwardly from the disk, as shown in Fig. 3. Against thesesprings rests a thick disk 28, which is held into engagement with theauxiliary spring disk by a series of coil springs 29.. At their outerends, these springs contact a plate 30, screwed to the other end of thecylindrical portion 14 of the driving member 7. Disk 28 has acentralthreaded portion-31, which is connected with the annular -ring-like part 32 by-webs 33. Thesewebs engage the slots 16, thus lockingdisk. 28 in driving engagement with member 7, but permittingreciprocatory movement thereof in the slots. For the purpose ofeifecting the engagement and disengagement of the friction disks, thedisk 28 is provided with a short stub shaft 34, which extends outsidethe clutch and base grooved collar 35 secured to it. A yoke 36 engagesthe groovein this collar, and-[by operating a handle 37 secured to thisyoke, the disk-28 as I friction disks.

is withdrawn to release the friction disks from the pressure of thesprings 29.

In operation: disks to be frictionally disengaged from one another bythe withdrawal of disk 28 from contact with them. The coil springs29-are held under compression in this position of disk 28, while fiatsprings 27 on disk 26 are permitted to assume their normal or curvedform, as shown in Fig. 3, and disks 9 are permitted a member 8, remainstationary. When it is desired to frictionally engage members, the yoke36' is moved to permit the disk 28 to move gradually inward under thepressure of springs 29. As the disk moves in, the auxiliary spring disk26 is forced against the outermost of the smooth disk series 9. series 9andlO are now caused to lightlyfengage one another, permitting thedriven member 8 to gradually take up the driving power of member 7.Asthe disk 28 is permitted to move farther, the springs 27 on the disk26 are placed under greater tension, thus causing the to-ps of theprojections 25 on the roughened disks 19 to engage the smooth surfacesof the disks 9 with greater force, consequently increasing the frictionbetween adjacent disks and causing the driven member 8 to receive moreof the driving power of member 7. As springs 29 are permitted to exertmore pressure upon disk 26, through the moving of disk 28, springs 27 ondisk 26 become entirely flattened and exert their entire compressiveforce on the Relative movement between the two series of disks 9 and 10,and the driving and driven members, is still permissible, however, undersome strains, which may be imposed on the driven member 8 and thesemembers are not locked together for ordinary loads, until the disk 28 isfinally permitted to engage the disks with the entire force of springs29. a

In ordinary multiple disk clutch construc tion, the disks of bothdriving and driven series are alike. In such a construction lubricationof the surfaces of adjacent disks is diflicult, because when the disks.are pressed together, lubricating material is squeezed out from betweenthem, and when the disks are allowed to slip, the lubricating materialis used up, until the surfaces of the disks become dry. When thefriction disks are dry, the slightest engaging movement of the clutchmembers, causes the friction disks to grab or look in frictionalengagement with one another and to thereby subject the parts of themechanism to undesirable shocks. In order to overcome theseobjections,.I have provided the one series of disks projections 25. Ihave We will assume the clutch to revolve with the driving member 7,while disks 10, mounted on the driventhe clutch All of the frictiondisks of boththe 10 with the hemispherical found that the fric-' tionalsurface afforded by the tops of these projections, is ample to effect alocking engagementi of the two series of disks, while the space betweenadjacent disks and the recesses created bythe formation of. theprojections enables the lubricant to enter between them and toeffectively lubricate the disk surfaces.

In providing theauxiliary spring disk, the clutch is caused to operatewith increased smoothness, for the. reason that greater range ofadjustment as to the degree of friction between adjacent disks isavailable. Assuming the range of action of springs 27 on disk 26 to befrom 0 to 25 pounds, and the range of action of springs 29 to be from25'to 100 pounds, it may readily be seen that for any adjustment of thedisk 28 from 0 to25 pounds, the springs of the auxiliary disk will bebrought into action, these springs becoming entirely flattened at 25pounds pressure. For any adjustment from 25 to 100 pounds, springs 29will be brought into action, because a minimum pressure of 25 pounds isnecessary to start compression of these springs. I desire it to beunderstood that I do not claim the particular form of clutch disclosed,but

\Vhat I do claim are the improvements above described and set forth inthe appended claims:

1. "A multiple disk clutch comprising a driving member and a drivenmember, a series of disks mounted on the driving member, a second seriesof disks concentric with and alternately arranged with the disks of thefirst series and mounted on the driven member, the disks of one of saidseries having a plurality of hemispherical projections extending fromeach side of each disk, a casing inclosing said members and said disksand means for causing the disks to frictionally engage each other.

2. A multiple disk clutch comprising a driving member, a driven member,a series of plain disks mounted to rotate with the driving member, aseries of disks provided with a plurality of projections and recesses oneach side of each disk mounted to rotate with the driven member andalternately arranged with thedisks of the driving mema series of drivendisks mounted on tween the disks and the mainsprings, and a casinginclosing said members, said disks and said springs. y

4. In a friction clutch, the combination of a series of smooth disks, aseries of disks having hemispherical projections extending from eachside of each disk, the disks of one a series being alternately arrangedwith the disks of the other series, a plurality of main springs, meansadapted to control the main springs, a plurality of auxiliary springslocated between the main springs and the disks, adapted to enable saidmain springs to press said disks together gradually when said means areoperated, and to permit said main springs to frictionally lock saiddisks together after the auxiliary springs have reached the limit oftheir'action, and a casing inclosing said disks and said springs.

5. A clutch comprising a series of thin metal driving disks and a seriesof thin metal driven disks, the metal of the disks of one of said seriesbeing distorted to form a plurality of oppositely disposed recesses andprojections, the disks of each series being alternately arranged withone another and the undistorted disks contacting with the projections ofthe distorted disks, means for causing the driven disks to be broughtinto driving engagement with the driving disks,

and a casing inclosing said disks.

6. A clutch comprising a driving member, a driven member, a series ofdisks mounted on the driving member, a second series of disks mounted onthe driven member, the disks of one of said series having a plurality ofprojections stamped from the faces there i of and alternately arrangedwith the disks of the other series, an oil tight casing inclosing saidmembers and said disks and means for causing the disks to engage anddisengage. 7

7. A clutch comprising a driving member, a driven member, a series ofdisks mounted on the driving member, a second series of disks mounted onthe driven member, the

disks of one of said series having 'a pluraland a driven member, aseries of disks mounted on the driving member, a second series of disksmounted on the driven memher and alternating with the disks on thedriving member, the disks of one of said seriesbeing roughened to form aseries of oppositely disposed projections and recesses,

and means for causing the disks to engage,

and disengage.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day ofJanuary, 1914.

o'rro MILLER. Y Witnesses BERTHA R. KRoPF, W. THORNTON BOGERT.

